iM(5 LIFE-HISTORIES OF BIRDS 



of the sportsman, and screams with great violence. In 

 alighting upon any object whatever, it most usually de- 

 scends below its level, and rises up ; it then turns suddenly 

 around, and faces the direction whence it came, as soon as 

 it has settled down upon the perch. The tail is now fre- 

 quently flirted up and down, and the wings are slightly 

 opened and shut in a rather nervous manner. It seldom 

 flies at any considerable elevation, but is often to be seen 

 skimming over low meadows and pasture fields, in quest 

 of food. It generally searches for its quarry on the wing, 

 but occasionally awaits its approach from some secret covert, 

 whence it darts out upon its unsuspecting victim, and 

 transfixes it in a moment. 



The food of this species consists of small quadrupeds and 

 birds principally, and some few insects, mostly of a coleop- 

 terous and orthopterous character. The following animals 

 constitute a portion of its voluminous bill of fare: -Quisca- 

 lus versicolor, Agelccus p/icenicctts* Tnrdns migratorius^ 

 T. nitisteliiiits* Cardlna/is virginianus, Passerella iliaca. 

 Ortyx virginianus, PJiiloJiela minor, Galliuago Wilson ii* 

 Dolichonyx oryzrcorus, and many of our smaller Fringilli- 

 ifcc and Syhcicolidce during their different migrations ; also 

 Arvicola Gapperi, Hesperomys Icucopus, Mus Hiitsctilns, 

 Jaciilns hudsouius^ Ptcromys voIuccUa, and Tatnias stria- 

 //v,y. among quadrupeds ; and phyttopteraoblongifolia,Cyr* 

 tophyllus concaviis*, Caloptcnus fcniur-rubriim^ CEdipodct 

 ncbiilosa, CK. Carolina^ Prioims laticollis, P. unicolor, 

 I^ncdtiHs tf.awa. Pangus calitritiosiis, and others. Like the 

 species whose habits were last described, this Hawk mostly 

 hunts and feeds in silence, except when startled by the too 

 near approach of man, when a hard harsh scream is uttered 

 with considerable vehemence. Such is its extreme daring, 

 that it often attacks birds larger than itself, which it is com- 

 pelled to abandon for want of strength to carry off. Occa- 

 sionally, when carefully screened from all possible danger, 



